THE COMPANY

The Sicilian choreographers and dancers Antonino CERESIA and Fabio DOLCE lead the Marseille cultural association Cie Essevesse.
 
DANCE is the heart of their project with all its nuances. Their work extends from three pillars:
 
CREATION – EDUCATION – RESEARCH
 
Twenty years ago, the two friends met at the Teatro Massimo school in Palermo, before starting a demanding career as repertoire dancers and choreographers around the world. Rich in their experiences, acquired with internationally renowned choreographers, they combine their visions which model their artistic approach.
 
Bridging the gap  between new forms of art to the most traditional, from experimental dances to Ballet, Antonino and Fabio shape their language through both alternative and classical performative spaces; demonstrating and promoting the coexistence of diversity and otherness: a democratic and republican message.
 
Through their focus on diversity and exploration they have come to understand that underpinning their work is the philosophy that: Poetry reigns supreme.
 

The search for scenic poetry has a primordial place in the work of the two choreographers who remain very attentive to the evolution of society. 

Additionally, the company is committed to projects with a strong social impact with various audiences, both in their home territory and internationally.

 
Finally, Fabio and Antonino, accompanied by a strong European network, are developing their innovative research on the use of dance as a method of non-formal education for the accessibility of this art worldwide.
 
 
 
 
WHY ESSEVESSE?
Antonino created the company in 2013 and chose its name EsseVessE after his first dance piece at the Cannes Jeune Ballet, named: Sève de l’essence. In the search for a palindrome name that can contain the energy of the two words: sap and essence, “EssevessE” hatched with the V mirroring the EssEs.
 
Fabio joined the artistic direction in 2018.

Le Bon Air Festival - 2023

Cie Essevesse was invited to Le Bon Air festival at the Friche de la Belle de Mai on 26-27-28 May 2023.
 
It was an intense and joyous moment shared with performers Oscar Miller, Sakiko Oishi, Greta Sandon, Maria Cargnelli, Julien Rossin, Jonathan Planat, Harriet Waghorn, Don Giovanna (drag artist), Fabio Dolce and Antonino Ceresia, at a festival that defends the company’s values of inclusivity and respect for diversity.
 
Many thanks to Bérénice Hourcourigaray for the article in Tsugi magazine.

‘But Le Bon Air festival didn’t just mix DJs, it also brought music and dance together, turning simple DJ sets into a real show. While Goldie B, one of the festival’s ambassadors, had a blast remixing “Dame tu cosita” in a drum and bass version with La Dame, the Brussels-based producer, around 10 dancers from the Essevesse Dance Company cut through the crowd armed with LEDs to make them stand out. For twenty minutes, they delivered a performance that was as contemporary as it was sensual, coming close to the universe of the collective La Horde. The duets performed a series of lifts, many of them genderless. Thanks to art and to Essevesse for exploding the clichés’.

New artwork 2024
Inspired by the Canticle of Creatures by Francis of Assisi

An obvious finding emerged after the work “#lacommedia” (2022) : Italian poetry of the Middle Age keeps its role of muse for their next work as they draw inspiration from The Canticle of Creatures by Francis of Assisi.
 
From Dante to Francis a new research where Medieval Poetry takes Dance by the hand in a duet that opens a dialogue between Arts and Heritage.

Danses-en-trans
(on going project)

Sensitive to the topics of gender-identity and diversity, Antonino and Fabio are committed to participate in the fight for equal rights, through the expression of gesture, within the diversity of gender: transgender, non-binary, people who question their gender identity. The transformation of the body and the freedom of its representation are the main inspiration for the artists, who wish to explore all the poetry that emerges from it. To do so, Antonino and Fabio, in collaboration with Transat association, have created an artistic project with a strong social impact : Danses-en-trans.

Danses-en-trans - workshops

Fabio & Antonino propose a weekly dance workshop, open to every transgender or non-binary person, at the Théâtre de l’Œuvre in Marseille.

The workshops operate as a drop in basis, with no experience necessary. 

The free and individual expression is enhanced as well as the cohesion of the group.

Every Friday, 4.30pm-6.30pm.

Danses-en-trans - performance

The artists propose an intense dance workshop of 3 days (4-5 hours per day) to create a performance with the participants who wish to take part in this creative adventure.

It will be an opportunity for them to raise their voice though dance in a public space. The performances are mainly held during significant days for the LGBTQIA+ community.

News

Le Bon Air Festival 2023

This year Fabio and Antonino have been invited at Le Bon Air festival. We are thrilled to welcome the memebers of the team for this amazing adventure: Maria Cargnelli, Greta

Read more

Danses-en-trans

Today – important and memorable day – 17 May 2023 – World Day against Transphobia and LGBT phobia – at La Plaine – Marseille Mo, Astrid, Marley, Gloria and Ruslan

Read more

 This year 2023, the company is more involved in the socio-cultural actions of Marseille

AOZIZ

The company is co-organising the 4th edition of the Aoziz Festival focused on awareness raising, study and research around migration, inclusion and prevention. Our artists propose live performance activities on the 11th June at the House of Arts and Movement with the Krasna company.

Pride Marseille

This year 2023, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Marseille Pride, Fabio and Antonino have been invited to the COPIL to propose cultural events. They participate with installations, performances and workshops.

OFF DANCE AVIGNON – 2022

Théâtre Golovine – associated artists 2020-2022

La Commedia Divina #like4like

The Cie Essevesse has been invited to the world reknown : Festival d’Avignon 

with their work:

La Commedia Divina #like4like.

Fabio and Antonino have been associated artists at the Théâtre Golovine for 2 years, and their collaboration culminated with this festival.

More than 700 people have seen the work and the PRESS has been unanimous with very good critiques promoting ‘La Commedia Divina #like4like’ as a HIGHLIGHT of  the 1500 pieces performed during the festival. 

 

Press

“The undeniable success of this piece is the dance. The two choreographers and the sublime dancer Sakiko Oishi are remarkable for their perfection in what they want to bring to the set… This version 2022 of the Divine Comedy questions, jostles and rocks at the same time…” Emmanuel Serafini – Le Bruit du Off
 
“As Forsythe plays with his exotic attributes to reinvent a coded vocabulary, here the point shoes have the right of residence as tools as much as magical, magnetic objects, transforming bodies into hybrid, beautiful and moving beings” Geneviève Charras – L’amuse- dance !

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Festival Le Bon Air - 2023